Opinion | China’s partnership with Muslim world is redrawing global landscape

Once seen as unlikely partners, this axis is now grounded in respect, sovereignty and a shared aspiration for a post-Western world order

Reading Time:3 minutes

Published: 9:30am, 25 Jun 2025

As Gaza endures unrelenting Israeli bombardment, the humanitarian toll is staggering: more than 55,000 Palestinians killed and millions displaced. This catastrophe not only evokes moral outrage but also highlights the collapse of the Western-led international order.

The June 13 Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military sites under “Operation Rising Lion” and Iran’s swift missile retaliation pushed the region to the edge of a broader war. That risk escalated further on Sunday when the United States launched coordinated strikes on several key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

What this spiralling confrontation underscores is a sobering reality: the West is no longer capable of imposing stability on its terms. Amid this geopolitical fragmentation, a consequential shift is under way – an alignment between China and the Muslim world. Once seen as unlikely partners, this axis is now grounded in respect, sovereignty and a shared aspiration for a post-Western world order.

China’s engagement with the Muslim world is not impulsive but strategic. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, it has invested heavily in infrastructure and logistics in countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Unlike the traditional aid programmes of Western powers, Chinese aid offers an alternative that is appealing to nations scarred by colonial legacies and structural adjustment programmes.

A pivotal moment came in 2023 when China helped bring Iran and Saudi Arabia to the table and re-establish diplomatic ties. Where decades of Western diplomacy failed, China’s quiet negotiations prevailed. It marked China’s rise not only as an economic juggernaut but as a credible stabiliser, particularly in regions where US policy has often deepened instability.

This alignment extends beyond geopolitics. It is rooted in shared calls for multipolarity, respect for civilisational values and more equitable global governance. These aspirations are taking shape in forums such as the expanded Brics grouping – which now includes Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates – and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, platforms enabling Global South cooperation outside Nato or Group of 7 structures.

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